Valentine's Days will come and go but love and romance are forever. Irrespective of the date when these movies were initially released, they will keep spreading love in their myriad avatars and can be enjoyed on OTT forever.
Come February 14, and the Raj and Simrans wake up from their slumber. So do the streamers to ensure that if some diktats are in force prohibiting them from PDA, then at least their smartphones will help them fall in love. Let’s see who has what to offer.
1) Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Much before Shah Rukh Khan was Pathaan and helped B-town resurrect, he was Raj, busy wooing Kajol aka as Simran in ‘DDLJ’ from the UK via Switzerland to the ‘sarson ke khet’ in Punjab made popular by the Chopras on the screen. The movie has achieved cult status in India across generations and also has the distinction of running for years together in a theatre after its release in 1995, yes a quarter century ago. Currently, you can fall in love with Raj and Simran on Prime Video.
2) Titanic
As Celine Dion crooned ‘My Heart Will Go on…Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose, representing two polar opposite strata of society met on an unsinkable ship. They fell in love breaking all the barriers but unfortunately, the ship, ‘Titanic’ hit an iceberg and sank, leaving Rose (Kate Winslet) nurse a heartbreak for life. The romance the two portrayed on screen, their sizzling chemistry, and the breathtaking climax remains etched in fans' memory to date. The movie continues to sail afloat on Disney+Hotstar.
3) Jab We Met
Some magic cannot be recreated even by those who achieved it for the first time. Kareena Kapoor as the talkative and frank Geet and a serious, heartbroken, reticent Shahid Kapoor meet during a train journey and eventually get romantically involved. Peppered with some iconic songs like ‘Nagada..Nagada’, ‘Mauja Hi Mauja’, ‘Tum Se Hi’ ‘Yeh Ishq Haye’, and ‘Aaoge Jab Tum’ among others, this movie instantly cemented a place in the audience’s heart forever. The Imtiaz Ali directorial is streaming on Prime Video.
4) Forrest Gump
Sorry, Mr Aamir Khan. Howsoever good you might be at getting into the skin of the character you cannot replace Tom Hanks. Whatever he did in the movie, he did for his love. But in that process audience is treated to a classic which is as much a romantic movie as inspirational.
5) Sangam
The Raj Kapoor classic can be termed the mother of all love triangles. ‘Sangam’ meaning a confluence, was indeed a great confluence of great songs, locales, performances and a riveting story. If you want to see what grace looks like, see Vyjantimala wearing a white saree. The movie is on Zee5.
6) Ek Duje Ke Liye
Remake of K. Balachander’s Telugu movie ‘Maro Charitra’, ‘Ek Duje Ke Liye’ dealt with the romance of a Tamil boy and a Hindi girl. The duo, Vasu and Sapna, ultimately overpower linguistic and cultural barriers and unite after their death. This tearjerker is on Prime Video.
7) Kal Ho Na Ho
Inspired by several classics including ‘Bawarchi’ ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ is one of the best Shah Rukh Khan movies. A classic love triangle between SRK, Ms Zinta and Saif Ali Khan, this movie even had a lovely romantic track involving Dara Singh and Sushma Seth. Do catch it on Netflix.
8) Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Another eternal love triangle was Karan Johar’s debut movie, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota hai’. Wonderful songs, palatable melodrama and some classy comedy by Archana Pooran Singh, Anupam Kher, Johnny Liver, ensured that this rom-com will always be watchable. Set against a backdrop of an ultra-modern college and a summer camp, you can attend it on Netflix.
9) Devdas
Love takes a melancholic turn in this Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s eternal love story which has ‘n’ number of iterations on the big screen. Devdas today has become a symbol of a man who has been dumped by his beloved. First made eternal by the thespian Dilip Kumar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s version was also all glam and gloom at the same time. Beauty queens Aishwarya and Madhuri danced together giving fans the unforgetful ‘Dola Re Dola… ‘ While SRK’s Devdas is on Prime Video, you can see Dilip Kumar’s on Zee5.
10) Amar Prem
Love is everything and love is eternal. And so is the love and bond between a mother and son. Giving this message of amar prem was Shakti Samanta’s ‘Amar Prem’. Kishore Kumar wove his golden magic in ‘Raina Beeti Jaye..’ ‘Chingari Koi Bhadke…’, ‘Kuchh Toh Log Kahenge…’, ‘Yeh Kya Hua..’. And then came the melody queen with her evergreen ‘Bada Natkhat Hai Yeh…’. Beautiful songs, a wonderful story, and impressive performances propel ‘Amar Prem’ into a class of its own.
The newbies
Your Place of Mine
Not only classics but new romantic movies too can be found dime a dozen on the streaming platforms. ‘Your Place of Mine’ offers a lot of promise as a rom-com as it has been written by Aline Brosh McKenna who had earlier penned the cult movie, ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. It remains to be seen how many Valentine's Days will it see.
Love Today
Okay, you love your partner but are you willing to swap your mobile phone with him or her? In this romcom on Netflix ‘Love Today’, the young couple who are about to get married swap their phones just for a day before marriage. Are you game? If yes, find out the answer to the question on Netflix.
‘Love to Hate You’
‘Love to Hate You’ is a K-drama, a romantic comedy to be precise. It’s the story of an attorney who hates to lose to men. You can either love it or hate it on Netflix.
18 Pages
It is not exactly ‘The Notebook’, but even ‘18 Pages’ is critically acclaimed. It's the story of a heartbroken Siddhu who finds the diary of a young woman Nandini which has only 18 pages. Fascination transforms itself into curiosity and audiences are in for a treat. This romantic comedy is on Aha.
‘The Romantics’
Perhaps the series that might interest Indians the most is the docuseries, ‘The Romantics’. Releasing on Valentine’s Day, it is a documentary featuring A-listers from Bollywood recalling their association with Yash Chopra who has given gems to movie buffs.
